A Different Light
by Feefella
Summary: After all they went through in Spokane, it's only natural that Mia would see Eddie in a different light. So when the gang visits the Moroi Court for Victor Dashkov's trial, Mia makes her move.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the Mia and Eddie fanfic that RoseBelikov18 and I wrote. I love this story because it showcases and fanon couple and really runs with a true fanfiction! **

**Let me know what you think!**

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"Meet me back here in an hour." My dad yelled after me as I walked away.

"I will." I called over my shoulder.

As I was walking, I pulled my coat tighter around me. It was freezing out here. I couldn't wait to get back to my room and take a hot shower before I met my dad to get something to eat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the court clerks stroll up to me looking utterly lost. When he reached me he asked, "Do you know of a 'Rosemarie Hathaway'?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at the man. "Rose. Yeah, I know her. Why?"

"Do you mind giving her this note?" He inquired, holding his hand out to me.

I took the note from him, and as soon as my hand touched the folded square of paper, I started itching all over with curiosity of what was written inside. "Sure, I don't mind." I said stuffing the note in my pocket.

"Thanks." And with that said, he turned around and walked away.

I had heard that Lissa, Rose, Christian, Eddie and some of the guardians from St. Vladimir had shown up for Victor's trial. Not that we were supposed to know about, exactly. My dad had overheard some of the royals discussing it, and then he had told me about it. However, last I was told, Lissa, Rose, Christian and Eddie hadn't been able to attend. I wondered who had changed the Queen's mind.

Instead of going to my room, I now had to find Rose. To my knowledge, the best chance of finding her was going to the building that held the guestrooms. I turned around and headed the other direction. When I reached the guestroom building and walked inside, I saw Eddie and Christian walking down the stairs, talking to each other. They both looked up when they saw me.

"Hey Mia!" Eddie called as he and Christian walked over towards me.

"Yeah, hey Mia." Christian said as they approached me.

"Hi guys. How have you been?"

"Fine," Christian said at the same time that Eddie said "Good."

I giggled as I glanced at Eddie. He looked….good. Really good. Sexy, almost. I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before now. His hair was the same spiky that I remembered, and his eyes still shown the same ocean-like blue, but now he seemed more… mature. More refined… more experienced.

"What are you doing here?" Eddie asked sounding excited. I didn't want to think too much about it, but I couldn't help it. He was _really_ good looking.

"Long story," I said with a shrug.

"We've got time." Eddie and I both pretended like we didn't hear Christian's snicker.

"I guess… if you have time…"

Eddie turned around at the sound of someone entering the room and grinned. "Hey, Rose. Look who we found."

Correction, I had found them. But I didn't say that out loud.

Christian stepped aside to expose me.

Rose came to a standstill as I smiled at her. "Hi, Rose."

After a brief moment, Rose composed herself and smiled back at me. "Hello, Mia."

It was so hard to believe that months ago we were each others worst nightmare. She was a bitch but I had been one too so… yeah. Looking back at what we had been through, it was hard to believe I could have hated someone like Rose. Someone so brave and so willing to risk their life for someone else. And someone who could kill two Strigoi in under a minute. I had been there when she had killed them and was still amazed at the strength she had shown.

I had also been there afterward… with Mason. She and I had an unspoken understanding that we wouldn't openly discuss the events after Isaiah and Elena had been "taken care of". If I had been in her position I wouldn't have wanted anyone to see me like that. So raw and broken… it still broke my heart.

Rose was staring at me like she was meeting me for the first time and inwardly I was sorry I hadn't showered before tracking them down. I couldn't help but laugh at her shocked expression. "Come on, it hasn't been that long. You look like you don't even recognize me."

"I almost don't." We hugged, and I found it hard to believe the she had broken my nose at one point in our highly dysfunctional relationship. "What are you doing here?"

Gesturing toward the door I said, "We were just about to leave. I'll explain everything."

I lead them to an adjacent building that was sort of like a mall, and that held a coffee shop. That was my goal. I'd been to the coffee shop a few times with my dad, but never with friends. It was great.

We reached the coffee shop, got our beverages, and sat down at a table. As we sat down, I told them, "My dad works here now. And so now I live here."

Everyone looked a little shocked at my words.

"What about school?" Rose asked.

"There aren't many kids here, but there are some. Most of them are rich and have personal tutors. My dad pulled some strings and set it up so that I can go to them foe different subjects. So I'm still studying the same things, just in a different way. It's actually pretty cool. Less teacher time-but more homework." I explained. Saying that reminded me of an English paper that was do in a couple of days.

Eddie looked at me the same way Rose had. Like he was seeing me for the first time. "You've been doing more than that," he said, and I smiled inwardly at the way his eyes scanned over me. I was really hoping he was starting to see me the way I suddenly saw him. Then I noticed his eyes on my hands and I felt self-conscious under his gaze. "Unless your classes are outside."

Making a point to look away from him, I looked down at my cup and wiggled my fingers. "I made friends with some of the guardians here. They've been showing me a few things."

Christian spoke up for the first time since we sat down. "That's risky," he said. "Since there's still a debate about Moroi fighting." Though his voice sounded admiring. Christian had always been one for breaking the rules.

"You mean Moroi fighting with magic," I revised. "That's what's controversial. No one's really talking about Moroi fighting hand-to-hand."

"Well, they are," Rose said. "It's just been overshadowed by the magic controversy."

"It's not illegal," I replied, a little defensively. "And until it is, I'm going to keep doing it. You think with all the events and meetings that go on around here that anyone even notices what someone like me does?" My dad worked for the royals here, so no one paid much attention to what I did. I sort of had some issues with the royal snubbing I got, but I wasn't going to let anyone know it. But all in all, I was happier and more open than I had been at the Academy.

"You've changed," Christian addressed me again.

"We've all changed," I rectified. "Especially you, Rose. I can't quite explain it." She seemed more... responsible... mature... more in control. Not as wild and reckless as she was before. Though I still believed she could do some damage if someone made her mad enough.

"I don't think there's any way the five of us couldn't have changed," Christian said, soberly. After an instant he caught himself. "Four of us."

We all fell silent at the thought of Mason, the only one who hadn't survived the horrors in Spokane. I still woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat with the image of his cold blank eyes fresh in my mind. I fought back the lump that was forming in my throat. It wasn't good to dwell on the past, and I don't like Mason would have wanted that for us.

Slowly we all managed to steer the conversation toward casual talk of what we had all been up to. I kind of wanted to get Eddie alone, you know, to talk to him one on one. I wondered briefly if he had a girlfriend, but he never mentioned it and I wasn't going to be the one to ask. I wasn't the type to be shy around guys, but with Eddie… well, Eddie was different. We had been through a lot together (more or less) and I knew that was a big reason I felt this pull toward him.

Lissa and Adrian Ivashkov showed up a little while later and as much as I tried not to, I kept looking over at Eddie. But every time I looked at him, he looked at me, and like a moron I looked down at the table. I was acting like a little kid, which was ridiculous because I _knew_ my way around a guy.

It turned out that Adrian had been the reason the five of them (six if you counted Adrian) had made it here in the first place. And even though I couldn't read minds, I could tell Christian had an issue with this. It was easy to see he wasn't exactly Adrian Ivashkov's number one fan. The air was getting tense as the conversation continued down the Adrian path. I looked at Eddie again and again, he was looking at me. I smiled a little at him and he returned the smile, and we sat there silently conversing until Adrian excused himself.

"Were you getting drunk with him?" Christian turned on Lissa.

"I'm not drunk. I only had two drinks," Lissa said. "Since when did you get all conservative?"

"Since Adrian became a bad influence." Oh Lord, so this was how it was going to go. I hadn't seen them in a month and the second they all get together they start bickering. It sort of made me miss all my old friends back at the academy… before Lissa and Rose turned them against me. Which was, of course, water under the bridge.

I quickly scribbled a note for Eddie to meet me when he got a chance and slid it covertly across the table at him. He grabbed it and read it without anyone noticing. He looked up, eyes wide and looked at Lissa pointedly, indicating that he was supposed to guard Lissa. I flashed him an "oh please" look and quickly turned my attention back to the conversation.

"Christian, for the love of God. If Adrian did this for anyone, it was because of me and his crazy obsession. He bragged awhile ago the he could do it, and I didn't believe it," Rose said viciously. "Liss, you might not be wasted exactly, but you need to chill out for an hour before having this conversation. You're going to say something as stupid as Christian, and I'll be the one who has to deal with the mess - like always."

Eddie and I exchanged startled glances, waiting for a full on fight to break out. But no fight came. Instead Christian and Lissa seemed to just… relax. Then Lissa asked me about who I had met here.

I jumped into a laundry lists of A-list Royals that I had _almost_ rubbed elbows with. I used to care a lot about who I met and how far I got with the royals but after everything that had happened in Spokane and losing Mason and my mom, I couldn't bring myself to care about such trivial things.

I had been about to tell them about the time that I talked to one of the more well known Ivashkovs when Rose stood up and said, "I'll be right back." We all stared after her as she stormed out the door, none of us able to speak for a moment.

Christian recovered first. "Weird?" He asked the table.

"Weird." we all agreed at the same time. We quickly fell into a casual conversation about nothing until I glanced at the clock on the wall and gasped. I was going to be late to meet my dad! He would kill me if I wasn't there on time.

"I have to go!" I stood up and surprisingly so did the other three.

"We were just leaving." Christian said with a small smile.

As we made our way to the door Eddie caught my hand for the briefest of moments and I knew that was his way of saying he would in fact be meeting me later. My feelings of triumph quickly turned to feelings of shock when we exited the café and found Rose and Adrian in a weird half assed embrace. Rose backed away from Adrian and turned her attention to us.

"Heading out?"

"Yeah, Mia's got more important things to do than hang out with us," Christian said, jokingly.

"Hey, I just told my dad I'd meet him. I'll see you guys before I leave." I started to head toward the building where I had left my dad, but stopped remembering the note in my pocket. I turned around and shook my head, "God, I am so out of it." I pulled the note from my pocket and handed it over to Rose. "This is half the reason I found you guys. One of the court clerks wanted me to give this to you."

"Thanks" She said taking the note. I rushed off to meet my dad, feeling excited for the first time in a long time. Something had changed in Eddie… and I really liked it.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here is the end of A Different Light. I had a ton of fun writing this with RoseBelikov18 (even though I can get a little possesive and kind of take over the whole thing... sorry about that AGAIN, Hunter!)**

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I rushed around my room picking up the clothes strewn all over the floor. I had told him to meet me in my room, and now that was starting to look like a bad decision. I stopped briefly and listened in the silence, swearing I had heard someone coming. I didn't hear anything else and continued picking things up, thankful that I didn't share a room with my dad. The Moroi living quarters here weren't set up for families so it sort of had the feel of a really fancy hotel. My room was across the hall from my dad's and while it wasn't the most ideal place to be located from your dad I sort of liked having him close. Life at the Academy really made one think about how much they loved their family… or what they had left of it.

I checked my hair in the mirror that hung next to the door. The make-up was minimal and I still hadn't decided on what to wear. I was thankful that I had gotten a shower in before he was supposed to arrive. I had done it in a record of fifteen minutes. I was sort of proud of myself! I usually took a good forty-five minutes to an hour in the shower.

I checked the clock and swore. He would be here soon and I still wasn't dressed! I ran to the closet and threw the clothes from the floor inside while looking on the hangers for something nice. It had been a while since I had dressed up for anyone to care what I looked like. I decided on a pair of jeans and a purple V-neck sweater.

As soon as I pulled the sweater over my head, there was a knock on my door. My stomach gave a little flip. I ran over to the mirror to do check my make-up and hair again before opening the door.

Eddie stood in the doorway, and about took my breath away. Dear Lord, he looked good! He must have went back to his room, showered and changed also. I could smell a faint hint of cologne. So he had thought about impressing me as well.

"Hey," I said with, what I hoped, was my sexiest smile. It was hard to tell these days, with not caring about dating when the world was so screwed up. I stood aside and Eddie walked through the door way, standing just inside.

"Hey," he answered back. "So what's up."

"I just wanted to talk. Without the drama that seems to be surrounding the other three."

"Four," Eddie said, talking about Adrian. He smiled and I figured that was his way of saying he wasn't uncomfortable being in my room.

I went to the bed and sat down, Eddie following close behind. He sat down and looked at me. "How have you been, Mia."

"As well as I can be." I looked at my hands. "You know after my mom was killed I really didn't think it could get any worse. Then when we were… when all that happened in Spokane…"

Eddie put his hand on top of mine that was laying lifelessly in my lap. I ignored the shock that went through my entire body. "I know…" he muttered.

"I didn't know Mason that well, but he was an amazing guy. Always wanting to do the right thing. Always wanting to be the hero. I wish…" I felt myself tearing up. "I wish he hadn't."

Eddie squeezed my hand and I tried to keep it together. "I wish I had been with it enough to do something. I don't remember anything… " His voice drifted away and when I looked up I saw a small amount of tears in his eyes as well.

"Eddie-" I started.

"If I had put up more of a fight… been in control more…" His voice was rough, fierce. If the situation hadn't been so serious I would have thought he was sexy right then. Oh, who was I kidding I _did_ think he was sexy just then.

"Oh, Eddie. There was nothing you could have done after that guy had worked you over. Me and Christian should have used our powers a hell of a long time before you became some snack." I was looking at him pleadingly and when he looked down at me and our eyes met, it was the weirdest feeling ever. It was like this was what it all meant. Everything we had gone through was to bring us to this particular moment. It felt like I was home caught in his gaze.

"So," I said trying to change the subject. "How is the field exercise going?"

"Good. I was really shocked when I got Lissa though." He seemed a bit dazed.

"I'm guessing Rose didn't handle that too well?"

"Surprisingly she was pretty cool about it all. I thought she was going to flip out but she only yelled a little and calmed down pretty quickly."

"Well that's good. It would have sucked if she had been failed and not been able to graduate." I was kind of shocked to hear myself saying something like that. A few months ago I would have been overjoyed to have her kicked out of school. But now that I knew her and where she stood on so many things… and after she had saved my life, and I had saved hers, stupid things like popularity were nothing.

Eddie was looking at me with such intensity that I felt sort of naked under his stare. His eyes were blazing and he was looking at me, like he was seeing me, really seeing me, for the first time.

"You've changed, Mia." His voice was level and calm and it sort of reminded me of Guardian Belikov when he spoke to Rose.

"We all have," I answered with a shrug. "After what we-"

I was cut off by his lips on mine. The second skin touched skin I felt like a was on fire. My heart skipped a beat in the most painful and glorious way and I was on another plane of existence.

I kissed him back, snaking my hand around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. He leaned in until I was laying on the bed and he was hovering over my, never breaking the most wonderful kiss ever.

I would have never thought it at first glance, but Eddie was an amazing kisser. He knew exactly what to do and where to put his hands, resting his left on my cheek and his right lightly on my hip.

My free hand explored his shoulders and chest, which were both sculpted from everyday training in hand to hand combat. I found the opening at the bottom of his shirt and traced my fingers along the hard muscle under the smooth skin of his stomach.

After what felt like an eternity of passion in the kiss, we both pulled apart to breath and Eddie sat up.

"I should check on Lissa and get to bed. It's going to be a long day with Victor's trial and every thing."

I nodded and stood up walking toward the door, still drunk from the most wonderful kiss of my life. He stood in the doorway for a second and looked at me.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked, sounding a little shy. I wasn't the type to be inhibited around guys so I was kind of shocked at my behavior.

Eddie smiled and leaned down, kissing me one last time on the lips before leaving me standing alone in the doorway of my room.


End file.
